VoraussetzungvsVoraussetzungenConfusable pair

Which to use

“Voraussetzung” and “Voraussetzungen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#4,084
“Voraussetzung” frequency rank
#3,005
“Voraussetzungen” frequency rank
7089
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Voraussetzung Voraussetzungen
Definition eine Bedingung, die im Vorfeld erfüllt sein muss; etwas was benötigt wird, bevor etwas anderes eintreten kann Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Voraussetzung

Where the eye mixes Voraussetzung and Voraussetzungen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 13 letters in sequence. Voraussetzung runs 13 letters (CVCVVCCVCCVCC) against Voraussetzungen's 15 (CVCVVCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

13 ch
Voraussetzung
15 ch
Voraussetzungen

Why the eye confuses Voraussetzung with Voraussetzungen

A purely visual mix-up. Voraussetzung ([foˈʁaʊ̯szɛt͡sʊŋ]) and Voraussetzungen ([foˈʁaʊ̯szɛt͡sʊŋən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Voraussetzung” sits inside “Voraussetzungen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7089, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Voraussetzung is recorded at frequency rank #4,084, classified as anoun, pronounced [foˈʁaʊ̯szɛt͡sʊŋ]. Voraussetzungen is at rank #3,005, tagged as anoun, pronounced [foˈʁaʊ̯szɛt͡sʊŋən].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 7089, this pair ranks #1,989,415 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Voraussetzung vs Voraussetzungen

Shared letters: aegnorstuvz. Private to "Voraussetzung": -. Private to "Voraussetzungen": -.

"Voraussetzung" · 13 letters · shape CVCVVCCVCCVCC  ·  "Voraussetzungen" · 15 letters · shape CVCVVCCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Voraussetzung ← ovraussetzung · voarussetzung · vorasusetzung · vorausestzung · vorausetzung · voraussettzung · voraussetuzng · voraussetznug
  • Voraussetzungen ← ovraussetzungen · voarussetzungen · vorasusetzungen · vorausestzungen · vorausetzungen · voraussettzungen · voraussetuzngen · voraussetznugen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Voraussetzung" and "Voraussetzungen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([foˈʁaʊ̯szɛt͡sʊŋ] versus [foˈʁaʊ̯szɛt͡sʊŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Voraussetzung" or "Voraussetzungen"?
"Voraussetzungen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,005 in our German list, against #4,084 for "Voraussetzung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Voraussetzung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Voraussetzungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,989,415 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Voraussetzung" and "Voraussetzungen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "voraussetzen vs Voraussetzung". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,989,415 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list